Whistler Question

238 – 4370 Lorimer Road

Whistler, B.C.

VON 1B4

Dear Editor:

Re: ‘Privatization’ a misnomer for P3s, official says

Make no mistake; public-private partnerships (P3s) are privatization.

Provincial official Steve Hollett of Partnerships B.C. says “privatization” is “a misnomer which has been erroneously applied to P3s” ( “Privatization a misnomer for P3s, official says” Whistler Question February 2nd, 2006)

Is this the same as the Campbell government telling us that B.C. Rail has not really been privatized, since the government still owns the railbed? Mr. Hollett says that under a P3 contract, the public partner sets standards. Tell that to the fish in the Cheakamus River.

Semantics aside, there is little doubt that the public will lose meaningful control if the proposed P3 for Whistler’s Wastewater Treatment upgrade goes ahead. The plan is for a 20-year contract that is partly privately financed and through which a private company will make all major decisions about operations and maintenance. Sounds like privatization to me.

Mr. Hollett also tosses out a lot of unsubstantiated numbers to back his claim that some other wastewater P3s have saved money. Let’s be clear. The vast majority of water and wastewater treatment plants in both B.C. and Alberta are operated publicly and there are many public sector cases of cost savings and efficiencies. Just one example is the new Kamloops Centre for Drinking Water Quality, which was completed in 2005 for a cost of $48.5 million, even though in 2001 the estimate was $60 million. That’s a saving of roughly 20%. The new publicly operated Kamloops water facility won the 2005 “Project of the Year Award” from the Public Works Association of B.C. Fortunately, Kamloops rejected the P3 option in 2001.

Mr. Hollett doesn’t mention Hamilton, Ontario’s sorry tale of P3 for water and wastewater. After 180 litres of sewage were spilled into Lake Ontario, more than 200 homes flooded and the P3 contract was transferred to five different operators over a ten year term, the City of Hamilton brought the service back in-house in 2004. The public sector service there is now operating efficiently, cost-effectively and safely.

At the recent Whistler Open House on the Wastewater Treatment upgrade, it was revealed that as the P3 procurement process has dragged on, capital estimates have started to soar to the $40 or $50 million range, up from the approved budget of $23 million. Whistler residents deserve some clear answers soon on the current estimated costs for this project.

Mr. Hollett is an emissary of a provincial government that is very fond of the ideology of P3s. Whistler ratepayers and taxpayers need to take what the Province is trying to sell us with a very large grain of salt. We need to make our own independent decision about this project, based on our own pragmatic assessment of what’s best for our community.

Sincerely,

Pete Davidson

President, CUPE Local 2010

7277 Fitzsimmonds Road S.Whistler, BC V0N 1B7

H: 604-938-8066

C: 604-935-8603